Brooder.



No. 707,l27.

'Patent ed Aug. I9, 1902. o. n.- LINCOLN.

B 800 D E B.

(Application filed July 25', 1901 (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

I e. mi scams PETERS co, Puqm-uwa, wAsmNc'roN D to look out for themselves.

The invention comprises an View with the roof removed.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORA R. LINCOLN, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ABROODERT SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 707,127, dated August 19, 1902. I

Application filedlluly 25, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORA R. LINCOLN, a citizen of the United States, residing a'trFall 1 10 it appertains to make and use the same,referones being bad to the accompanying drawings, and 10 the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification. 1

15 This invention relates to apparatus for caring for young animals, and especially chickens. Its object is to afford .asafe and comfortable' shelter for the chicks from the time they are hatched until they are big enough In this respect it serves as an adjunct to the artificial incubator and is therefore appropriately termed a brooder. Apparatus for this purpose is not a new thing, many devices of the same 25 general style having been proposed.

My invention aims to improve upon existing brooders in certain particulars, so as to render better service at a lower cost than heretofore.

improved hover, which can be raised and lowered to accommodate chicks of different sizes and to adapt itself to a growing brood. Warm air is supplied to the upper part of the hover and 5 is evenly distributed therethrough to preventthe chicks from crowding together, as they are liable to do if one part is warmerthan another. Protection against cold is provided and many practical advantages are afforded 0 which need not be here enumerated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure ,1- is a vertical section of my improved brooder.

Fig. 2 is a similar section, on a large scale, of a portion of the hover. Fig.3 is a top plan Fig. 4 is a detail view of the device for adjusting the height of the hover. v

The brooder is preferablysquare in plan,

with front and back walls A and gable ends B. Both sides of the roof 0 are hinged at the peak, so that either or both can be raised. The roof is preferably laid on loosely, so that Serial No. 69,711. (No model.)

it can-,be entirely removed, if desired,.thus giving unobstructed access to the interior.

The main-floor D D is located high enough to afford a lower chamber E for the lamp or I other heater F, the front portion-D being slightly lowered, as shown, to hold graveland afford a runway for the chicks to scratch in Y with no danger of the gravel being scattered under the hover. Near the edge of this runway is acurtain G, preferably of felt,-i-hanging from the edge of a partition H, depending from the roof and hinged thereto. When the roofis on, this partition and curtain divide the brooder into two apartments, a cool. playroom and a warm bedroom. ItcanIbe turned up and fastened out of the way by a button 72, if desired, and when the roof 0 is raised the partition comes up with it,which' facilitates feeding and cleanin The back portion D oft-he main .floor is double, with a space I between, the bottom d being prefer-ably of sheet-iron. At about the center of this floor is a drum K, openybelow and rising through an opening (1 in the floor D. This drum is located above athe heater F, which projects up into an inverted cone K, depending from the bottom at around the heater and preferably having a slot;7c,or. other means ;to, pern1it .the' heater to rbeislid into place through the door a. Flues K run from the drum K through the space I and OPGILOUB through the walls of the brooder, their-exits being protected by perforated hoods a to prevent the entrance of air-drafts.

Fresh air enters through openings at and flows through the space I to the opening (1,

being warm ed by the flues K the Warm floors ,Dd,-and the drum K. Rising through the annular space between the drum and the edge.

' of-the opening 61', the warm fresh air enters the hover, which will now be described.-

In general appearance the hover resembles an umbrella, having a central standard, a spreading top, and a depending curtainor Valance around its outer edge. "Thestandard is tubular and surroundstheopeningd in the floor D. It is-adjustablein'height,'

preferably by being madein telescopic sections L L. A convenient"mo'd'e"of adjust? ment is shown in the drawings, the lower sec tion having a pin Z and the: upper section a vertical slot Z engaging therewith and provided at intervals with short lateral slots Z The vertical slot permits the section L to be raised and lowered, and the lateral slots can be engaged with the pin to retain the upper section at any desired height within the range of the device.

Supported upon the upper section of the standard is a top M, preferably a circular disk resting on short uprights L so that the warm air rising through the tubular standard can pass between the uprights and spread out under the top M. A hole on above the standard and closed by a button M permits some of the air to escape, if desired, and thus affords means for regulating the quantity going into the hover. A porous lining or padding extends from the edge of the top M to the upper end of the standard, forming a shallow chamber 0:, into which the warm air enters between the uprights L This padding consists, preferably, of a layer of wire-netting N to stiffen and support the other parts, secured to the standard and to the edge of the top M. Next below the netting is an annulus of paper N, extending only part Way from the standard to the edge of the netting and serving to direct the Warm air to the outer portions of the hover. Under the paper is a layer of cotton-batting N and below this a layer of cotton-flannel N both terminatinga little short of the edge of the top, so as to leave a narrow annular space for the air to come through. Secured to the edge of the top M is a curtain or valance composed of two thicknesses P P of felting, the inner one being shorter than the outer one and both slit vertically at intervals. The inner valance is made shorter than the outer one to enable the ventilation to be regulated, since by throwing up the outer valance more space is left open and a freer circulation of air is secured, or one side only may be drawn up, giving more ventilation on that side. When only one valance is used, the cool air will enter the slits freely when the chicks pass in or out, whereas with a double valance this entrance of cool air is largely prevented. The double valance therefore tends to maintain a more even temperature in the hover and at the same time affords a convenient means for changing the degree of ventilation when required.

When the apparatus is in operation, the

chicks get warm by pressing their backs up against the warm padding, and as the outer edges are as warm as the center there is no incentive to crowding against the central standard. Hence a large number of chicks can be cared for without danger of suffocation or trampling. It will be noted that the padding slopes upwardly from the center,- permitting the chicks to choose places best suited to their height. As the birds grow the hover can be raised from time to time.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patcut, is 4 1. A brooder having a hover comprising a top, a porous padding suspended below said top, and means for causing warm air to pass down through said padding.

2. A brooder having a hover comprising a top, a porous padding suspended below said top, means for supplying warm air above said padding and an impervious central portion for directing the warm air to the outer portions of said padding.

3. 'A brooder having a hover provided with padding and a tubular standard connecting with the space above the padding and forming the sole support for said hover, and means for furnishing warm air to said standard.

4:. A brooder having a hover provided with padding, a tubular standard forming the sole support for said hover and made in telescopic sections and connecting with the space above the padding, means for adjustably uniting said sections and means for conveying warm air into said standard.

5. A brooder having a hover comprising a top provided with a double valance one being shorter than the other.

6. A brooder having a hover comprising a top provided with a double valance slit vertically at intervals.

7. A brooder having a hover provided with 2. padding composed of wire-netting, cottonbatting and a flannel cover.

8. A brooder having a double floor, a hover having a hollow top communicating therewith, and a heater having fiues running through the double floor.

9. A brooder having a hinged roof carrying a depending curtain dividing the space into two compartments, a double floor for one of said compartments, a hover in said compartment communicating with the space between said double floors, and means for heating'said space.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ORA R. LINCOLN.

Witnesses:

ARBA N. LINCOLN, GEORGE M. H001). 

